This disclosure relates generally to machining turbomachine components and, more particularly, to machining cooling holes in a turbomachine liner.
Turbomachines, such as gas turbine engines, include components exposed to high levels of thermal energy. Cooling air is often used to remove thermal energy from these components.
For example, in the nozzles of some turbomachines, liners are used to direct the superheated exhaust stream. The liner is primarily a cast metallic alloy, and portions of the liner are exposed to the superheated exhaust stream. The temperature of the superheated exhaust stream exceeds the melting point of the metallic alloys of the liner. According, liners often include cooling holes. Cooling air moves through these cooling holes to provide a surface cooling envelope that repels the superheated exhaust stream. The cooling holes are machined in the liners using a laser drill, for example.
Positioning the cooling holes within some areas of the liner can undesirably weaken the liner as is known. Current cooling hole machining operations use complex and laborious processes to avoid position cooling holes in such areas.